Russia-Ukraine war: Kyiv orders penalties on seven clerics with ties to Russia

Ukraine has ordered punitive measures to be carried out on seven clerics who are known to have ties to Russia. The measures are part of Kyiv’s crackdown on the Orthodox Church, which has ties to Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that punitive actions were taken against seven clerics who have grown sympathetic to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine back on February 24. In an order issued by the Ukrainian Security Council, all seven clerics have their assets seized and are subject to a ban on a range of economic and legal activities as well as a de facto travel ban.

“We are doing everything to ensure that no strings are available to be pulled by the aggressor state that could make Ukrainian society suffer,” said Zelenskyy during his nightly video address announcing the actions taken on the clerics.

Ukrainians are predominantly Orthodox Christians, and there has been a fierce rivalry between the branch that has long-running ties to Russia and an independent one that was proclaimed after Ukraine’s independence in 1991. While the Moscow-linked church severed its ties with the Russian Orthodox Church following the war, many Ukrainians are still suspicious of the clergy’s motives as the Russian church fully supports the war.

This follows last month’s order by the Ukrainian Security Council to investigate the activities of the church. Legislation is under consideration to limit the church’s activities. The Ukrainian Security Service has recently carried out raids of properties owned by the Moscow-linked church and accused a cleric last week of engaging in anti-Ukrainian activity by supporting Russia’s policies in their social media posts.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Russian town of Klintsy in Russia’s southern region of Bryansk was hit by a Ukrainian strike, according to its regional governor, but there were no casualties or damage. Klintsy is located around 45 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

“As a result of the work of air defense systems of the Russian Armed Forces, the missile was destroyed, some parts hit the territory of an industrial zone,” said governor Alexander Bogomaz said in a post on the Telegram messaging platform.